“From the first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I knew I wanted to be a dance teacher,” says Nohealani Naehu, a Cullman High School grad and owner of The Factory Dance Productions in Cullman.

Since she can remember, Nohealani Naehu knew she wanted to spend her life sharing the gospel of dance with anyone who’d listen. 

“From the first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I knew I wanted to be a dance teacher. Everyone I’ve ever taken dance from has been such an influential part of my life that it inspired me to be that for someone else,” says Naehu, a Cullman High School grad and owner of The Factory Dance Productions in Cullman.

“I was such a hyperactive kid that my mom didn’t know what to do with me,” she jokes. “She originally stuck me in dance so I’d have some way to burn off some energy, but after that very first class I was hooked. Dance has been a part of who I am ever since.” 

Born in Las Vegas, Naehu has lived everywhere from Hawaii’s Oahu Island to Virginia. “We moved around a lot because of my dad’s job, but in every new city I always found a home at the local studio,” she explains. “I took Hula and gymnastics too. I was always searching for ways to move and create even before I really knew that’s what I was doing — I just knew I loved it.”

Several years and a handful of states later, Naehu is now the owner and creative director of her very own studio in the heart of downtown Cullman. “I was working at two different studios in Birmingham when I was approached by a dance mom about opening a brand new studio for some kids left behind from a closed studio in Cullman,” she recalls. “I was hesitant at first and I said ‘no’ several times. But after along dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s, a lot of convincing, and a whole bottle of wine later — I agreed!”

Naehu joined forces with Sarah Hall Jean and childhood dance friend Kerri Payne to bring their new joint goal to fruition.

“I wanted the space to be an art haven for creatives and weirdos much like Andy Warhol’s studio ‘The Factory’ in New York — so that’s exactly what we called it,” Naehu explains.

“Dance is in every form of entertainment from music videos to TV and film to the bar down the street on Friday night. It’s all around us and affects all of us in some way. Movement can be seen in all forms of art and that’s what dance is. I wanted to give my kids a space to be able to explore that.”

Six years after that fateful bottle of wine, Naehu is now the sole owner and creative director of the award-winning studio and spends her days sharing her love of dance with kids from all across the Cullman area.

But the passion project doesn’t stop there. Naehu is now teaching dance to students at Cullman High School as their new dance adjunct instructor.  “It’s a really incredible opportunity to be able to give kids a chance to try something new and express themselves in ways they would’t normally be able,” she says. “It’s one of the most exciting and challenging parts of my job.”

Naehu teaches three dance electives: Dance 1, Dance 2 and Dance Team — with each group also providing student talent for a brand new group of dancers who’ve already racked up regional medals and national recognitions in the two short years of the still-green program.

On top of it all, Naehu also heads up an additional community dance endeavor she freely admits is her “favorite” — the No Limits Dance Program, an all-abilities dance class for both children and adults. The program was started by Keri Payne in tandem with the Cullman Parks and Recreation department as a way to introduce art to the local special needs community. Now with Neahu at the helm, the group meets every Saturday from August through October, and once a month from November through May, to prepare for their final showcase at The Factory Dance Productions’ spring recital.

Although it seems that Naehu can’t possibly have enough hours in the day for all of the projects heaped onto her plate, her biggest goal is a simple one:“I just want to inspire my kids to be individual and to give them the tools they need to discover that individual. The best way I know how to do that is to teach them to dance.”

To learn more about The Factory, check out the studio on instagram @thefactorydance, or call 256-841-1900 to explore enrollment options and class offerings.

This story first appeared in the Spring edition of Cullman Magazine.